


The Last of the Real Ones

by heeheedragon97



Category: Bandom, Fall Out Boy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternative Lifestyles, F/M, Gen, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-04
Updated: 2018-04-04
Packaged: 2019-04-18 11:49:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14212506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heeheedragon97/pseuds/heeheedragon97
Summary: Nia. A thrilling, stargazing, violet-eyed girl that captivates Patrick and leaves his head tumbling under waves.inspired by The Last of the Real Ones by Fall Out Boy





	1. Prologue

"I'm Nia!"

The younger girl thrusts her hand to the boy in front of her, a wide grin on her innocent face. Patrick glances at Nia's hand sheepishly, his eyes still dancing between her hand and the smile that is missing a few teeth. He takes the girl's hand and shakes it.

"Patrick," he mumbles. He was never good at talking to other kids. Patrick has always been shy and kept to himself.

"You like Ghostbusters?" Nia asks. Confusion flashes across Patrick's face for a second before he looks down at his shirt that depicts the infamous ghost behind a red, crossed out circle.  
"Yeah," he says. A grin starts to develop on his face, displaying his missing front teeth to Nia. It's nothing abnormal to a seven-year-old. Patrick glances at Nia's shirt, taking in the graphic tee full of stars and planets.

"You like space?" he asks, returning the girl's gesture. She smiles wider, this expression full of pride.  
"Yep!" she chirps! "I wanna go to space one day."  
"I wanna be a Ghostbuster, but my mom said that I can't," Patrick huffs with a pout.  
"Why not?" Nia asks. The young girl cocks her head to the side as Patrick lets his gaze drift to his shoes.  
"She says it's too scary," he confesses.  
"My mom says space is scary, but I think it's really cool. Ghostbusters are really cool too."

Patrick slowly looks up at his new friend, a new hope sparkling in his eyes.  
"You really think so?" he says.  
"Yeah," Nia grins. "I brought some toys. Maybe we can play Ghostbusters in Space?"  
"Okay," Patrick agrees, his smile returning to his face.

Nia walks in with her backpack full of the toys she had promised. Her bag is purple and in the shape of a rocket ship, the small window being transparent and showing just a few of the figurines she had taken with her. Patrick leads her to his room where he keeps his collection of Ghostbusters and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figurines. Nia finds a place on the floor and sets her toys out as Patrick gathers his, readying for the fun crossover the two have created.

He sits down in front of the brown-haired girl, his arms full of characters. He looks over at Nia just as he spills the plastic dolls onto the carpet. Nia glances up at him and that's when Patrick notices her eyes for the first time.

"Whoa!" he gasps. Nia's violet eyes widen, quickly changing into a subtle brown. But Patrick knew his own eyes didn't deceive him.  
"What?" Nia asks.  
"Your eyes! They were purple just a minute ago!" Patrick exclaims! "Are you..." he looks around the room, seeing if their mothers were around before a potential secret was spilled between them.

"Are  _you_  from space?" he whispers. Nia giggles and shakes her head, her wavy locks intertwining with another with the momentum.  
"No," she chuckles.  
"Are they real?"  
"Yep!"  
"Do you have super powers?"  
"Super powers?" she quizzes. "Like what?"  
"I dunno," Patrick says with a shrug. "Like mind control or something! Like...a witch or something!"  
"I don't know," Nia says. "My mom says my eyes are special and they make me very different from other people. So if I do get super powers, I'll tell you first, Buster."  
"My name's Patrick," he corrects with confusion.  
"I know," Nia smiles. "But you're a Ghostbuster, remember?"

Patrick smiles at the comment, mulling the new nickname around his head.

"And you're a Witch," he jokes. The two laugh at their new bond. Little did they know it would stay until the end of infinity.


	2. one

Patrick spots the familiar form sitting on the grass. The lake water quietly strokes the sandy shore, reminding him how he and Nia used to question the strange transition when they were younger. Patrick smiles to himself as he starts towards his friend, making sure his movements are as silent as possible. Once he reaches his friend, another figure sits beside her. She looks over at him and scoots closer.

A strange, icy feeling courses through Patrick's chest— almost as if his heart claimed a winter kingdom in his chest, or his body created an empty, frosty void. It was Nia's boyfriend, Tom.

"Hey, Patrick!" the boy calls out, smiling at Patrick through the dim lighting. Nia snaps her head to find her best friend approaching. Tom ruins everything. The blonde boy pushes through his thoughts and smiles at the unexpected guest.

"Hey, Tom," Patrick mumbles. He sits on the other side of Nia, his arm lazily resting on his knee. "I wish I knew you were joining us."  
"Sorry, Buster," Nia whispers to him, and smiles apologetically. She hands him a brown bottle from a cardboard case. "Root beer?"  
"Thanks."

Patrick knows that he shouldn't feel this way towards Tom. He almost hates him, but for what reason? As far as he knows, Nia's boyfriend is a decent guy. She's happy with him and that should be the only thing that matters to Patrick. Nia is like a sister to him. It's only natural instinct that he becomes the protective force he has been for her for eleven years. He was there when she scraped her knee while learning how to skateboard and he was there through all the heartbreaks in high school. He was also capable of knowing what guys like Tom can do to girls like her.

"She talks a lot about you, Pat," Tom mentions. He leans forward to look past Nia and at her closest friend. Patrick cringes at the shorthand name, but manages to cover it with a smile.  
"Just call me Patrick," he says before taking a sip of his soda.  
"My bad, man," Tom chuckles. "So, have you two known each other a while?"  
"Uh, I guess you could say that," Patrick stammers.  
"We've been pals since we were seven," Nia interjects. She looks back at Patrick and smiles before giving him a playful shove on the shoulder. Patrick smiles back at the girl.

" _Seven?_  Damn, that's a long time!" Tom gawks.  
"Yeah, me and Buster go  _way_  back."  
"Is Buster your middle name or something?" he asks Patrick. Patrick shakes his head.  
"Nah, it's just a nickname..."  
"A nickname I have for him," Nia explains.  
"Aw, you guys have nicknames for each other," her boyfriend chortles. Patrick tears his attention away from the couple and starts to find rocks to skip on the lake.  
"What does he call you?" Patrick hears Tom ask.  
"Witch," Nia answers with a grin present in her voice.  
"Witch? Why?"  
"Because of my eyes," Nia says. Tom is silent, still confused.

 _This guy doesn't know a damn thing about her_ , Patrick thinks to himself before a snicker slips from him. The couple look over at Patrick— he just now notices that their bickering had ceased.

"Sorry," Patrick chuckles. "Just, uh, remembered something funny."

With that, Patrick stands from the grass and makes his way down to the lakeshore with his collection of rocks. He chucks a stone, the earth-material chuck skipping along the surface of the water. With each skip, he feels his heart sink lower and lower into the pit of his stomach. He heaves a sigh and brushes the feeling off, waiting for the stars to claim the sky. Nighttime was always Patrick's favorite time of day when he was Nia. She would gawk at the stars and planets in the sky and ramble on about articles she had read about how Earth tilts and aligns with constellations and neighboring planets. That's where him and Nia were different. Over the years, Patrick realized being a Ghostbuster wasn't likely (let alone possible). However, he did gain a passion for music. Nia was still fixated on stars, just like before.

Patrick glances back at the couple over his shoulder, wondering if Tom ever notices those things about her. His chest starts to feel weird again. An unexplainable type of weird he is not familiar with.

"Stop it," Patrick mumbles to himself before skipping another stone.  
"Hey, Patrick," Nia says from behind him. Patrick almost jumps at her voice, but turns towards her. Tom is still on the grass; Patrick barely makes out an apologetic smile that hesitates on Nia's face. "Pass me some of those rocks, yeah?"  
"Tom is an ass," Patrick blurts out as he divides his collection of rocks to share with Nia. The violet-eyed girl laughs and joins her friend's stone tossing.

"Give him a chance, willya?" she insists through a chuckle.  
"He doesn't know a damn thing about you!"  
"That's not true—"  
"Does he know why he's here? At  _our_  lake? On  _our_  patch of grass?" Patrick asks. It's his turn to chuckle.  
"Please, Patrick. I'm not a kid," Nia huffs. She tosses her final rock and lets it skip along the water. Patrick feels the temporary winter in his chest again. "Please. At least stay for the cool facts I've got! I read another stack of articles this morning."  
"Yeah, sure," Patrick says, a weak smile faltering on his face. Nia playfully punches Patrick's shoulder with a chuckle.  
"He's a good guy. I promise," she says.  
"If he does anything, you know I'll beat his ass," Patrick halfway jokes.

The night claims the sky and the trio are gathered on the grass, their heads towards the skies. Nia studies every shining speck with amazement. Patrick was used to that.

"Tom! A shooting star!" Nia gasps. She nudges her boyfriend, but receives no response. Patrick rolls his eyes at the stranger, discovering that he fell asleep.

"Hey, I saw that, Buster!" Nia says. "He had a long day at work."

 _So did I, but you don't see me complaining_ , Patrick snaps internally. Instead, he suffices with shrugging at her response.

"I saw the shooting star," he says as he rests his head on his knees. He hugs his legs closer to his chest for more support and comfort.  
"It's actually not shooting," Nia corrects. "It's—"  
"—a dying star that is falling into our gravitational force," Patrick finishes with a laugh. He looks over at Nia, finding her giving him a playful glare before laughing at him.

"Still wanna make a wish?" Patrick suggests.  
"Yeah, I wish you didn't steal my thunder, prick," she laughs. Patrick chuckles at the remark. He glances down at a sleeping Tom.

_Me too._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me what you think! :)  
> Comment. Kudos. Share.


	3. two

The wake of Saturday rolls through Patrick's bedroom, its sunlight spilling onto the walls and gradually onto him. He realizes he is awake at an ungodly hour. With a sigh, he rolls over and flips his phone open, clearing notifications. He squints at the blurry screen, then fumbles for his glasses before applying them onto his face.

_3 Messages From Witch_

Patrick furrows his brow, wondering what she's doing up so early. The question applies for himself too. He heaves another sigh and opens her messages.

_Hey, u up?_   
_When u get this, let's meet @ the park!_   
_Tom wnt b there >;-p_

He disconnects his phone from the charger and replies.

_If ur still up, let's go!_

A minute passes and Patrick gets a response.

_It's YOU who needs 2 go lol. I'll c u there_

Patrick chuckles at her answer and gets out of bed. He pulls on the first set of clean clothes he sees scattered about his messy room as he makes his way to the bathroom to freshen up. He glances back at his guitar and notebook.

Patrick had written a song late at night but wasn't sure if he could show anyone. It was like a look into his buzzing mind. He certainly couldn't bear to feel that vulnerable.

 _This Nia we're talking about_ , Patrick reminds his conscience. He could trust her with anything. Patrick heaves a long sigh and gathers his music items, keys, and phone as he slips on a pair of shoes before leaving the house, venturing towards the park. He lugs his guitar case on his back, seeing Nia on the swing set at their local park past the morning fog.

Patrick claims the swing next to her and they exchange a smile.

"What's up with the guitar, 'Trick?" Nia chuckles as she nods at the guitar case Patrick sets down beside him. "You're gonna serenade me?"  
"Yeah, in your dreams," Patrick laughs. "I can trust you, right?"  
"Eleven years would've been a waste if you can't," she states with a smirk. "What's the Ghostbuster hiding in his suit?"  
"I-I, uh... I wrote a song," Patrick stammers. "I guess I wanna hear your feedback on it?"  
"Totally," Nia grins. Patrick perks up and obtains his notebook. He flips through the collection of ideas and find the one he had worked on last night before handing it over to his best friend.

"Great! Thank you!" he chirps as he takes out his guitar. "I'm going to need your honest opinion, though."  
"Who's this about?" Nia asks as she scans through the lyrics. Patrick's chest slightly clenches at the question. He hides it with a smile and props his guitar comfortably.  
"No one specific," he says. "Just something I kind of dabbled up last night. You ready?"  
"Yeah," she smiles. Nia leans over to share the page of lyrics with Patrick so he can reference his notes. He starts strumming his guitar, gathering the courage to sing. He's done it before in front of Nia. Many times. She was there for every concert his high school band, Patterson, performed at, most of them in small parties. Only he was the drummer of the band, not the spotlight singer with the guitar.

" _You need him? I could be him. I could be your accident but I'm still trying! And I'm not as good enough as him..._ " Patrick finishes singing the lyrics he had created in the late hours. "Uh, that's all I have so far. I think it's kinda stupid—"  
"No no no!" Nia interrupts. Her smile seems to grow wider even though Patrick didn't think it to be possible. "It's great, Buster! You have a great voice, bud!"  
"Thank you," Patrick smiles sheepishly. Nia claps her friend on the shoulder, this time her violet eyes staring into Patrick's blue eyes.

"You're gonna be big someday, I bet," she states.  
"You think so?" Patrick asks. "Like, you legit think that?"  
"Hell yeah, man!" Nia exclaims. "And I'll be able to say 'oh yeah, I'm best friends with that rockstar Patrick Stumph! We've been friends since we were kids!' And everyone in the observatory won't believe me until I show them all the pictures we have together from our crazy adventures!"

Patrick can't help but laugh at Nia's efforts to build him up on this new pedestal.  
"I'll be sure to mention you at least five times in each interview I'm featured in," he jokes.  
"You better!"

The two companions laugh at their banter, their chuckles also falling together. It's silent between the two young adults. But it's not an awkward silence. It's a peaceful, mutual, and likeminded silence. One that neither Patrick nor Nia could explain. Patrick puts his music items away in the guitar bag and rests the gathered items on the post of the swing set.

He looks over at Nia, watching her gaze in the distance. Even in the daytime, she was fascinated by the stars. Patrick caught himself noticing the small galaxies in her ever changing eyes. A feeling stirred in his chest, then his stomach; it scared him but he didn't know what it was. With that, he turns away and fixates his attention on his shoes, noticing the dirt marks and scuffs along his worn Chucks.

"It's strange how the Sun is also a star," Nia blurts out. Patrick simply nods, avoiding any way to look at her and perhaps be trapped in confusion. "A morning star."  
"That's also a medieval weapon," Patrick states. Nia laughs at the fun fact. Patrick notices that Nia laughs with her whole body, something he also adopted from her. She leans back, her head tossed back slightly as the joyous sound erupts from her. It's enough to make her swing a little on the set they remain to sit in.

The silence returns between them. Patrick is captivated by Nia once again. He watches her study the sky the way she always does. The more he watches her, the more he notices something amiss. She slowly begins to look tired. Better yet, it looks like something is on her mind.

"What's eating you alive?" Patrick asks. His voice is gentle, but still addresses that he wants answers. Nia presses a weak smile and looks over at Patrick.  
"It's nothing, Buster," she lies.  
"C'mon," Patrick coaxes. "I let you listen to a shitty song with some shitty lyrics. You can trust me."

Patrick catches a figure in the horizon as Nia refuses to answer the burning question between them. He suddenly makes out that it's Tom. His lanky figure clears up along with his raven hair that is asymmetrically cut.

"Well, I—"  
"Nia, baby!" Tom cheers. He hugs Nia from behind, cutting off the developing conversation that was between her and Patrick. Patrick rolls his eyes at her boyfriend.

"Uh, Tom—?"  
"Hey, Buster," Tom grins at Patrick. The blonde boy cringes at a stranger calling him by a personal name.  
"That's not my name, man," Patrick says politely.  
"Sure it is, Buster!"  
"It's Patrick," he corrects.  
"Nia calls you Buster all the time, Buster."  
"Yeah, I'd like to keep it that way please. Only Nia can call me that." This time, Patrick's tone shows more irritation.

"Tom, now's not a good time," Nia says as she tries to pry her boyfriend's arms from around her waist.  
"Yeah, man. We're in the middle of a discussion here," Patrick elaborates.  
"Oh, don't mind me," Tom smiles. "Go ahead at discuss."  
"It's a personal thing. Just between us. Can you please leave us alone for a minute?" Patrick tries.  
"Nia tells me everything, so I don't see the problem. Isn't that right, baby girl?" Tom plants kisses on Nia's neck. Patrick can see the discomfort in Nia's demeanor; his stomach ties itself into knots at the sight.

"Dude! Back off! She's obviously uncomfortable!" Patrick demands.  
"Are you uncomfortable, baby?" Tom purrs along Nia's jaw.  
"Um..."  
"Tom, seriously! Just back off! It costs nothing for you to stop being an asshole, man!"

Tom looks up at Patrick, an eyebrow raised at his statement.  
"Sounds like baby boy is jealous," Tom smirks cunningly as he approaches Patrick. "Does Buster have a crush on my girlfriend?"  
"Tom, all we're asking is that you leave us alone for a moment," Patrick groans. "Nia and I were in the middle of a conversation that doesn't involve you!"  
"Tom, please," Nia croaks out. The feuding boys look over at the girl, her head down and the fountain of brown, wavy locks covering her face.

Patrick's face of anger and irritation melts away instantly. He feels his heart dive headfirst into the pit of his stomach.

"Fine," Tom snarls. He shoves Patrick as he begins to storm away from the two. "Have it your way!"

Patrick can't seem to get angry at Tom again. He's more concerned about his friend. He rushes to Nia, kneeling before her.

"Nia, look at me," he whispers. She forces herself to do so. Patrick notices her ruby red nose, then the tears that roll down her cheeks. He heaves a sigh as he feels his heart sink lower and pulls her in an embrace. "I'm sorry, Nia."  
"I just hate it when you guys fight. Or when anyone fights," she says. "It—"  
"I know, I know," Patrick hushes gently, knowing exactly why she is like this.  
"You two are so important to me and I just want you guys to get along," Nia confesses.  
"I hate to be that person, but you gotta admit he was being a complete douche bag through all of this," Patrick states.  
"Yeah," Nia sighs.  
"C'mon," the boy eggs gently. He stands and pulls Nia onto her feet. "Let's go to my place. We can play Mortal Kombat! Would that make you feel better?"

Nia nods at the suggestion, a weak smile developing on her lips. Patrick drapes his arm around her shoulders, carrying his guitar in his free hand, and leads the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me what you think! :)  
> Comment. Kudos. Share.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think! :)  
> Comment. Kudos. Share.


End file.
